Guard-rail clamp.



PATENTED MAY 19, 19138.

COOKE.

GUARD RAIL SLAM?.

APPLICATION HLED 215.251.1901

WARNER B. COOKE, OF .IENKINTOWN,

PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR -TO WILLIAM WHARTON JB.. & COMPANY, INCORPORATED, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

GUARD-RAIL CLAMP.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May ie, 190s.

Application mea. April 26, 1907. serial No. stoms.

To all Iwhom'it may concern:

Beit known that I, WARNER B. COOKE, a citizen of the United States, residing inJen-- kintown, Pennsylvania, have invented cer- ;Btain' Improvements in. Guard-Rail Clamps,

of which the following is aspeeication. Myinvention relates to certain improvements inguard rail clamps of the type mi" fle oli a singlepiece otvrnught, metal bent into vs a e.

e object 'oi theinvention is to so construct the rail clamp .that any lateral pres- 'sure e'xerted on the 'clamp will. causait to tightenratherlthan o en and -these lateral strains will be resiste in. the best possible 'mannen a' In the accompanying drawings :ffFigure 1,

is atransverse sectional view through a y :main rail and a guard rail illustrating my improved clamp; 2 is a plan view; and Fig. 3, 'is-*alvlew 'ot a modifica-tion of the invention.

Ais the inain rail and B the guard rail 8 acedapart hy the' fiverige-shaped blocks -2'5`-` .f ofiza'ny editable type'bnt capable of 'afdjstedone in-respect tothe other to decrease ,or increase the space between 'said two rails. Y I

D is the guard rail clamp. which is made of wrought metal bent' at its ends to form two overlapping armed-fd. The metal of the clamp is benton a: comparatively large ra .dius so as to obviate the liability of fracture ofthe metal, either din'ingthe frocess of lmanufacture of the metal or on account oil side strains inuse.

Eis a block itting snugly against the web of the rail A as well asagainst its head and base flange and rovided with a longitudinal oove e 1n whic rests the end efthe armd occurring when the device is caring against the outer side of the guardrail B is a wedge F, which fits against the Web of the rail B, as well as against the 4`5`-under side of the head oi the rail and the lange"and"`this"wedge block hasqaYA recess f. Y

The *basefiof-said-recess melined to form a wedge corresponding with the beviel of the end d of the arm d of the clamp, as clearly illustrated in Fig. 2.

When the parts are assembled, as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, and the rails are spaced a given distance apart-by the wedges v the wedge block F is driven so as to 5.5 firmly clamp the rails'in position. Any suitrblock E.

the block E as well'as the block F, may be B0 l slightly tapered to form a Wedge, but in most instances a single wedge block F is all that is necessary. Y

It will be noticed that the two ends d--cl of the clam are inclined' downwards towards 65 the base ot the clamp and rest against the Said ends are preferably placed about midway between the base lian e and lthe head of the rail and I find that any ateral pressure exerted upon the guard rail B, which would ordinarily tend to spread the clamp, causes these ends ofthe arms to move downwards, forcing the rails A and B tightly agai ist the base of the clamp D owing to the lfact'that the strain lends to coil said curved 75 ends rather than to spread them open. The inclination ofthe ends d-d ma vary according to circumstances and wi` also depend materially u on the height ot' the rail.

In Fi y. 3, have shown a iodiication in Se which t e wedge block F2- has a projectinor y flan ef'l extending over the end of the arm ci of t e clamp I); and has its underside-cut away, but I prefer, where possible, to use the construction illustrated in Fig. 1. It will also be seen that by this invention I am enabled to `produce a guard rail clamp, which Will be as substantial as those now in common use while being at the same time much lighter and which can be very readily and cheaply 90 manufactured.

I claim Y The combination of two rails spaced apart, a clam Iturned up at each end to form arms extending over the bodyportion of the clam the ends of the arms being turned down t. wards the body portion, a block fitted Fo the side of one rail and slotted for the reception of theend of one arm, a wedge fitted. to l[he side of the other rail and having a beveled slot fitting the end of the other arm, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specilication, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WARNER B. COOKE.

' Witnesses: i

Jos. H.,KLEIN, WM. A. BARR. 

